Pharaoh's Feud
by Terrez
Summary: Two titans clash in a display of power and ambition.


Disclaimer: I, in no way, shape or form own the characters created and owned by Kazuki Takahashi. All respect is to be given to him, as he is the proper owner and creator of the "Yu-Gi-Oh!" manga, its characters and all merchandisable property and products sold under or sharing the name of "Yu- Gi-Oh!", or products and merchandise containing the word "Yu-Gi-Oh!" in their title. I am merely borrowing his characters for this story and am not in any way affiliated with KAZUKI TAKAHASHI, KONAMI CORPORATION, Konami, Konami of America, Inc., Konami Computer Entertainment Japan, Inc., or Wizards of the Coast, Inc.  
  
Author's Note: I'm sorry to say that my work won't satisfy you Bakura- fetishists out there, but I like to present the characters as they actually would be, that is, writing the characters the closest to how they would really act and respond to the situations present within this story. With that said, enjoy- I certainly had fun writing this.  
  
Chapter One- Fool's Game  
  
Yami stood, deck in hand, ready to face the threat of Marik Ishtar.  
This legendary man, leader of the Rare Hunters and owner of the  
Millenium Rod was an agent of evil, armed with vast resources,  
stemming from his possession of almost every card in Duel Monsters to  
his great knowledge of the Millenium Items, their histories and magic.  
As a result, he knew that the Millenium Puzzle housed the soul of the  
Pharaoh and all his ancient magic as well, and he aimed to take it.  
However, the ancient scriptures that he stole from his sister Ishizu's  
archeological collection indicated that if any being wished to take  
the Pharaoh's power from him that he would have to defeat the Pharaoh  
in a duel, a duel that the Pharaoh himself agreed upon. Only then  
could the challenger claim the Millenium Puzzle and its hidden magic.  
  
The two titans faced one another, each as sturdy as rock.  
Neither one moved or looked away for one second from the other.  
  
"I know of what you seek, Marik Ishtar, and I know that you can only  
claim it by entering into battle with me." Yami said, his voice  
reflecting the ever-present courage within his soul.  
  
Marik moved closer to Yami.  
  
"Then what say you, Pharaoh-Incarnate? Do you accept this duel or  
not? Keep in mind that I will walk away from this with your Millenium  
Puzzle no matter what you decide, and you will be left a broken and  
shattered man."  
  
Yami remained unshaken.  
  
"I have heard threats all my life, Marik, and unlike you I have the  
strength to make promises, promises that I always keep. I will give  
you one loss that you will never recover from."  
  
Marik then reached into his robe and pulled out a small stone tablet.  
It was extremely ancient. Without a shadow of a doubt Yami recognized  
it to be of great power. Marik dropped it to the floor. Though it  
would have appeared to have been broken the tablet remained intact.  
It was covered with hieroglyphs: two of which strongly resembled Marik  
and Yami.  
  
"You didn't think I'd start this transaction without the Tally of Ra,  
did you? No, it's this tablet that describes how I'm to take the  
Pharaoh-Essence from you, and it's this tablet that's required for our  
duel, whether agreed upon or not, to be validated."  
  
Yami was a bit startled at the presence of the artifact.  
  
"The Tally of Ra was carved by the sun-god himself, and contains as  
much power as any Millenium Item. It does, however, have only one  
purpose: to give any challenger one chance to destroy the Pharaoh and  
drink his magic. So, do you accept, Pharaoh?"  
  
"I agree to your terms, Marik Ishtar, so long as you agree to mine."  
  
A sinister grin spread across his face. His eyes, demon-like, glared  
straight into the soul of the Pharaoh.  
  
"And what is that?"  
  
"To do evil no more."  
  
At that moment a horrible and villainous laughter erupted from Marik's  
twisted mouth.  
  
"I agree to your terms, Pharaoh!"  
  
Yami looked down at the tablet for a couple of seconds and saw that  
Marik's hieroglyph glowed green, while his remained to be lit. He  
looked back up at Marik and validated the duel.  
  
"Marik Ishtar, I, Yugi Moto and Pharaoh-Incarnate accept this duel and  
recognize you as challenger. Before the eyes of Ra, let this battle  
commence!"  
  
Right then Yami's hieroglyph shone white light and two giant chains of  
magical energy ensnared both men. With a blinding flash of light,  
both men fell to their knees, holding their chests, where the chains  
resided. A bright light traveled from each man's chest down the chain  
and into the Tally of Ra. Then each hieroglyph reflected an even  
brighter and more intense light, while the other symbols around them  
started to flicker.  
  
Marik laughed again and offered an explanation.  
  
"The chains will bind us to this transaction until a victor is  
decided, so there is no leaving now, Pharaoh. The Tally now houses  
our souls as well as our magic. The tablet itself will provide an  
arena for our battle of Duel Monsters, using its god-like magic to  
make the cards we play as real as real life. Satisfied?"  
  
"If it will offer me the chance to halt your evil plans then yes."  
  
Both men cut the other's deck, and with a shout of, "Let's Duel!" the battle finally begun.  
  
A shock of energy traveled up the chain and into Marik's  
chest. The Tally had given him the first move. Drawing his hand, the  
villain snickered as he played two cards face down and a monster in  
defense-mode. 


End file.
